I have been feeling very bad for the last few days. I rarely get sick and that completely wiped me out. However, it reminded me how well our body tells us what it needs in all situations.

Unfortunately, it was a stomach bug, which meant she didn’t feel like eating and even the water was a bit iffy. Interestingly, though, the good old “wives tale” of the lemonade ice block really works and is the only thing that I feel like or that my body could sustain for the first two days. (So ​​at least I didn’t get dehydrated!)

When we are in a situation like this we have to listen to our body, we have no other choice. So I went to bed, rested, and slept as much as I could.

So why don’t we listen to our body when it’s okay? It is because we have the energy and ability to override it and have often become disconnected from our body’s natural instincts that we can no longer hear or feel what it is telling us. Imagine how well our body would work for us if we did exactly what it tells us all the time.

It is very important to eat when we are really hungry, eat exactly what we want, stop when we are satisfied and go and do something else until we are physically hungry again. These are the 4 principles of the nutrition cycle.

But what should we do when we are not hungry?

1. Recharge: rest, relax, get enough sleep, do things that bring us joy

2. Energize – move our bodies. Find something you like and do it regularly, it doesn’t have to be every day and it doesn’t have to be aerobic. Just move on. Your body will love it physically and emotionally.

3. Stimulation – We all need something that enlightens us, that we feel valued, that we are contributing. Boredom leads to lack of motivation and procrastination and often finds us in front of the pantry or the refrigerator !!

4. Higher power – or internal connection. An opportunity every day to just stop and be, to connect with yourself. This could be prayer, meditation, art, music, fishing, nature walks, or something creative. It’s time to just shut down the business of life and stress.

You don’t have to find a lot of extra time for these things, as they can often be combined. I walk every day through the beautiful park next to our house. It has many trails that wind through beautiful fields, undergrowth and along the river. As I walk I can recharge, energize and stimulate myself while connecting to my higher power. Magic.

So this month I encourage you to think about whether you are adequately meeting all of your body’s needs or whether you continue to overeat, drink alcohol, or even work excessively. Over time, your body will tell you that it has had enough.